Bruce Springsteen

[LoathedVermin72]

Countin’ on a Miracle?! You sons of bitches are making my eye twitch

[McParadigm]

Waitin' on a Sunny Day - Nothing Man - Countin' On A Miracle - Empty Sky are the lower points on this album for me. Each song isn't bad but together I feel they just tread the same territory.

[LetMeSleep]

Waitin' on a Sunny Day - Nothing Man - Countin' On A Miracle - Empty Sky are the lower points on this album for me. Each song isn't bad but together I feel they just tread the same territory.

2 of them are necessary to the album and I'd go with WoaSD and NM

[LoathedVermin72]

LMS I don’t know how to break this to you but you have terrible taste in Bruce

[LetMeSleep]

LMS I don’t know how to break this to you but you have terrible taste in Bruce

For quite a while now I've thought the same with you.

[LoathedVermin72]

LMS I don’t know how to break this to you but you have terrible taste in Bruce

For quite a while now I've thought the same with you.

Oh I know I do

[liebzz]

Waitin' on a Sunny Day - Nothing Man - Countin' On A Miracle - Empty Sky are the lower points on this album for me. Each song isn't bad but together I feel they just tread the same territory.

I see them all as on the better end of okay, except I quite liked Empty Sky on this listen. Oddly, in the past when I thought about what Bruce album I want to hear, the chorus to that song would pop in my head and I would pick a different album. Something else resonates with that song today.

[oasisfan35]

Listened to Greetings followed by Western Stars Tuesday morning before hitting the road for a while where I got through Wild, BTR, Darkness, River, Nebraska and BitUSA. Hadn’t listened to Wild in eons and it was a refreshing listen indeed. Born to Run is just a stellar album with the first few notes of Thunder Road immediately taking me back to the first time I ever listened to the record. Felt pretty much the same as I have all along about The River but I also got through The Ties That Bind the other day and I felt my appreciation for the double album tick up a notch. Overall the cohesion of these albums in order is pretty fantastic though after My Hometown I felt the absolute need to step away from the studio albums and throw on Live 1975-1985. The stretch from Racing in the Streets > Seeds is one of my favorite bits on any record ever.

All that said, even as a Tunnel of Love fan I doubt I’ll be continuing on with the chronological foray. I haven’t listened to a bunch of B-sides or EPs in a while and that sounds pretty good right now. I’m in the (seemingly endless) process of copying DVD archives to a new HD and really hope the Springsteen stuff is coming up soon.

Oh, and Western Stars is a damn fine album.

[Monkey_Driven]

Born to Run (5 stars)

Iconic. That’s the word I think of when listening to Born to Run. It's tough not to use such hyperbole when discussing this album. What a grand statement, combining the joy, heartbreak, quest for freedom, and youth of his previous albums but with a sophistication and editor’s touch that was previously lacking. It is meticulously arranged and performed and that effort rewards the listener with every moment. This album is incredibly ambitious, but manages to maintain a cohesive sound and theme. It is easy to take it for granted, given the excellent releases Springsteen later produced, but this was the start of something truly special. He discovers his full might as a songwriter and performer and flexes it for a full decade. I can’t wait to listen to this for years to come and rediscover it time and time again.

Thunder Road (5 stars) - Pretty bold move to start your third album with the best song you’ve recorded to date. For many years this was my favorite Bruce song. It’s equal parts romantic, wistful, poetic, and moving. “It’s a town full of losers, I’m pulling out of here to win” becomes the driving force and theme of the entire album. Can we escape our problems and obstacles in our lives? Can things get better? An idea that will be fully examined, critiqued, and reevaluated for the rest of his career.

Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (4.5 stars) - What a groove. It’s almost impossible to not dance to it. Bruce starts to explore different voices, sometimes quite literally and introduces us all to the E Street Band. Speaking of the band, they all get their chance to shine on this album and this is their formal intro. Not a ton of depth here, but it doesn’t need it.

Night (3 stars) - Feels more like an interlude than a full song, moving at a consistent speed and pace throughout. Clarence’s sax at the end connects to wonderfully. This is the weakest track here, but that’s not really a negative criticism given what surrounds it.

Backstreets (5 stars) - The piano intro and slow build up leading to the explosively cathartic second half sets the stage for a tale of love and a broken friendship. His most emotional and raw song to this point in his career. The music reflects it with a great guitar tone, wonderful piano/organ interplay, thrown vocals, a building drum beat, and more. I had forgotten how much I liked this song.

Born to Run (5 stars) - One of the rare instances of a legendary song actually living up to the hype. For years I appreciated this song, but didn’t fully “get” the brilliance of it. The production is almost overwhelming, somehow holding together the arrangement while not being in the way. “In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream” is such an incredible opening line. The lyrics that follow tell a story familiar to many, but manage to articulate the desire to escape your life in such a moving and vivid way. I love how the song speeds up and builds to a point of almost falling apart in the bridge, but then explodes into the “highway’s jammed with broken heroes” line. Bruce is pushing the car to the limits. Born to run. What a succinct and defining statement for an artist to make. If this his biggest contribution to popular music, what a gift it is.

She’s the One (4.5 stars) - Love the slow build of the piano and Bruce’s muddled vocals. The punchy introduction by the guitar and drums is one of my favorite little moments in his catalogue. The twangy guitar in the bridge is the perfect pairing with the sax and layered vocals. The last minute is so fun. Just musicians having a blast and being loose with the material. Glad there is no fadeout. Ends quickly.

Meeting Across the River (3.5 stars) - The sax is so dreamy and distant. The whole song sounds like it is taking place on a dark, foggy night. Good storytelling here, but it serves mostly as a preface to Jungleland.

Jungleland (4.5 stars) - A continuation of his overly long, operatic stories from his first two albums. He moved away from these, but this one may be the best. Everything is perfectly arranged, giving each instrument a time to shine. I’ve heard this song so many times over the years and I think the impact has worn off a bit, but then I hear the last 5 minutes or so and am moved once again. The sax solo, the hushed vocal delivery, and climactic final push close the album on the perfect note.

[evenslow]

nice review, m_d.

[Monkey_Driven]

I was just thinking about how LV is visiting the perfect part of the country for listening to Western Stars.

[LoathedVermin72]

I was just thinking about how LV is visiting the perfect part of the country for listening to Western Stars.

It definitely got a few road spins. My dad got sick of it though lol

[bodysnatcher]

what are your dad's thought on kanye?

[LoathedVermin72]

He's, uh, not a fan

[epilogue]

Your dad sounds cool. Get him to post here.

[Monkey_Driven]

I'm out on LV's dad based on this page.

[LetMeSleep]

Sounds like I would get on with his dad more than LV.

Does he like Rocket From The Crypt?

[liebzz]

Devils & Dust - my overall rating B- (this album is hard to listen to all the way through. The first half is very good and changes the pace here and there but from Silver Palomino through The Hitter it’s one slow acoustic slog after another and they all meld together.)

Songs to convert tree_: none

Also good listening: Devils & Dust, All the Way Home, Maria’s Bed, All I’m Thinking About

[liebzz]

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions - my overall rating A (this is a masterpiece of a tribute to Americana. The whole thing is appropriately loose and fun, and I really appreciate the interaction of instruments that would not normally be something I would run for [i’m talking to you banjo, accordion]. This is the most joyous I think Springsteen is since The River.)

Songs to convert tree_: I was hesitant to put any since this is essentially a collection of cover songs, but I will throw in O Mary Don’t You Weep, Eyes on the Prize, and Pay Me My Money Down.

Other good listening: really almost all of it but I will throw in Old Dan Tucker, Mrs. McGrath, John Henry, My Oklahoma Home, and We Shall Overcome as the other highlights.

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem